The area around the motel was busy with tourists Sunday about 12 hours after the shooting. Tourists who were asked for comment declined to speak to a reporter because a suspect was still at large and they feared retribution.

The Sun News quoted a witness as saying that several people were fighting on the sidewalk in front of the motel minutes before the shooting.

“At first, everyone was standing around to see who was going to win the fight. Then they started shooting and everyone scattered,” George Covington told the newspaper.

The shooting happened during the annual Atlantic Beach BikeFest held about 15 miles away during the Memorial Day weekend. Police say they typically deal with motorcycle wrecks and lesser offenses during the bike rally, but violence is unusual.

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